


Power’s Resurgence (1986)

by floatingdreams



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Soulmates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 09:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21296969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floatingdreams/pseuds/floatingdreams
Summary: Shortly after her father’s return, El Hopper diligently works to rekindle her dormant abilities. At the expense of many Coca-Cola cans, she tries her hardest to ignite her telekinetic powers once more. With no avail, it seems the only way for her to revive her powers is during a moment of life or death. A moment where her powers are a necessity to save a loved one’s life...Otherwise known as, El’s powers make a comeback just in time to save her soulmate’s life. Commence all of the chaotic fluff.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	Power’s Resurgence (1986)

**Author's Note:**

> This is poorly edited, but I hope you’re all able to see past that and find enjoyment within this reckless fluff!

***************************************

Excessive tension and pressure built behind El’s eyes as she focused intently on the task she was striving to accomplish. Her arms were outstretched and her breathing became labored as her energy was sucked out of her like a sponge thirstily absorbing liquid. Her sight and focus remained trained on the Coca-Cola can that mockingly stood several feet in front of her. Her determination and frustration was so heightened that she failed to hear the door to the cabin open.

Ever since Hopper’s return, he and El had resumed living as a family without skipping a beat. And while their old cabin remained in shambles a few miles away, the two of them and the Byers had purchased a new log home on the outskirts of Hawkins.

Each time Eleven found herself home alone, she would resume her practice of gaining back her powers. She had yet to make an ounce of progress, and that fact alone only ignited her urgency to work harder. 

She had been keeping her training away from her family’s knowledge because she knew they would berate her for trying. Time after time, the people El loved would claim that she did not need these powers to be special; and while she appreciated that, it didn’t change the fact that she was set on achieving this milestone for a mission of her own.

She had done an amazing job of assuring nobody knew of her efforts to reestablish her powers. Eleven would casually lie about the blinding migraines that she suddenly received, blaming them on the change in weather. However, the truth was about to come to light as she found herself no longer home alone.

With her concentration still set upon the soda can, she startled slightly at the frantic voice that came from beside her, “El! What are you doing!?” 

Mike looked over his girlfriend’s eyes, recognizing the bloodshot veins that appeared throughout their golden shade. He analyzed how vulnerable she looked, and he silently kicked himself for not recognizing what she was doing to herself sooner.

As he reached forward and snatched the Coca-Cola can, Mike kindly suggested, “how about you go lay down? I’m going to recycle this and get you a snack. Eggos sound good?”

El shyly nodded before she wordlessly wandered down the hall and into her bedroom. She flopped onto her bed and quietly muttered, “stupid. Only you would manage to get caught just as you were making progress.”

When Mike entered his favorite room in the house, he felt deep concern fester within him at the sight of his beloved girlfriend. Her fists were clenched tightly against her eyes and her frame was shaking as quiet cries muffled their way out of her mouth.

Setting aside the stack of frozen waffles he had prepared, Mike quickly crawled onto the bed beside her. He readjusted her position, bringing her face to rest against the hollow skin of his throat. He held onto her tightly as he rubbed the small of her back in comforting circles, shuddering as her tears began to cascade down the crook of his neck. 

He gently brought her head away from him and cradled her face in his hands before asking, “what’s wrong, love?”

El hiccuped slightly as she sobbed, “I-I’m trying so hard, but I’m not strong enough to bring them back! I n-need them back,” she sniffled before adding, “and I was doing such a g-good job of keeping my training a secret. I-I’m sorry.”

Mike furrowed his brows and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as he questioned, “sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“I didn’t want to worry anyone. I know you guys think I’m special without my powers, but it’s just,” Eleven took a deep breathe and looked away as she stated, “the gate is still open. And I don’t want it to take anyone I love again.”

Mike’s mouth gaped open slightly as her words began to soak in. His girlfriend was attempting to find her powers once more only to put herself further into danger. A heat of anger and worry crept up his spine at the thought of her being placed back in the center of harms way.

He picked up El’s hand and pecked her palm before proclaiming, “the gate is none of your worries, El. You have saved all of us countless times, and this is not something that you need to fix. Not today, not in a month, and not ever. Hopper said there’s a team building a machine to close it for good, and for now, that’s good enough.”

Eleven drew back a few inches, looking around as she said, “the machine might not work. And if it doesn’t, then who’s going to fix it?”

Just as Mike was preparing to respond, both teens jumped as Hop’s boots entered the room. He shot his daughter a wary look before stating, “closing the gate is neither of your concerns, or any of ours for that matter. This team is going to close the gate, and everything is going to be fine.”

El got up and faced her father with fire in her eyes, “when will they close it? In a week? In six months after it takes somebody else? In a year once it swallows the town whole?”

Both men present watched as her demeanor cracked, the fear and sorrow beginning to seep through her stance as the sobs echoed from her throat. 

Mike reacted first, hugging her closely from behind as he buried his face into her hair, “It’s going to be okay,” he murmured, placing a kiss upon the crown of her head as he assured, “you have saved us all more times than I can count, and it’s time for someone else to step in. You’re not a machine, and you weren’t created to solve the world’s problems with those pretty glaring eyes.”

El laughed softly at his last joking remark as she consumed the sincerity behind the words he had spoken. After all, maybe he was right. Maybe she did not need to always be the one to save humanity. Maybe it was time she proceeded to live in normalcy as she deserved.

Hopper looked over the teens and rolled his eyes before he gruffly stated, “you two are grossly cute. It’s disgusting.”

The pair gave him cold glares in response, which urged the burly man to raise up both hands in surrender. Just as he retreated out of the room, giving the duo some privacy, Hopper poked his head back in and enforced, “El, stop with the Coca-Cola. We can find something else for you to practice on because all this soda will rot your teeth.”

Mike and El briefly shared a look before bursting into a fit of laughter over the protective advice that came from the flannel covered man. And as the two laid back into bed, a peaceful slumber quickly overtook them both.

In the days that followed, El continued her efforts of rebuilding her powers under the supervision of Hopper and Mike. There came a day when her mind physically rattled the can, resulting in a large celebration.

And while it remained unknown now, those powers would return in full force during a time when it mattered most. When it came down to life or death of a loved one. And that time would be soon.

******

It was the week of Valentines Day and a flurry of butterflies consumed Mike as he prepared to shower his girl in love and adoration. He had arranged a warm bonfire near the edge of the quarry and set up a small picnic consisting of El’s favorite foods. It wasn’t much, but it wasn’t the material items that were necessary. Alls they needed was each other, and that was all that really mattered.

The swooning swirls spiraling throughout Mike’s abdomen only flourished further when El’s body pressed into his back as he pedaled his bike to their destination. Her addicting scent surrounded him and caused him to feel intoxicated. Thankfully, they arrived to the romantic destination before he could crash from the distracting source of beauty before him.

He stepped off of the bike and held out his hand, assisting her in safely getting off of their mode of transportation. Once she had both feet planted on the ground, Mike pulled her in closely to his side, “I know it isn’t much, but I thought it would be nice to get away from everyone for a little bit.”

El nodded feverishly at his explanation as a bright smile overtook her features. She understood exactly; because if it wasn’t their friends and family hovering around them, it was the overcrowded source of suburban humanity that surrounded them in the town of Hawkins. This secluded spot that held early memories of their blossoming love felt like a place they could establish as their own. A special location where their love could thrive without any source of prying eyes. 

“It’s perfect,” El murmured quietly before pecking Mike’s lips, “you’re perfect.”

A signature blush coated his warmly freckled cheeks as he sank down to the ground, patting the spot on the blanket beside him. With El now huddled against his right side, everything felt sane in this world. All of the weeks they had spent separated; between the three hundred fifty three days and the states temporarily keeping them distanced during 1985, none of that truly mattered now. The only thing that mattered was their skin to skin contact, which provided continual warmth to their beating organs as they could finally see one another every second of every day. 

An hour after they had arrived and consumed the food that Mike had prepared, an unwanted chill slithered along El’s frame. She mildly shuddered and silently hoped that her boyfriend hadn’t noticed; however, she should have known better than believe that he could ever miss a thing about her.

Mike rubbed his hand along her waist and asked, “are you cold?”

El shrugged, attempting to be nonchalant even as her teeth chattered when she said, “j-just a little, but it’s okay. I want to s-stay here with you.”

With a shake of his head, Mike made an effort to untangle himself from his soulmate, but Eleven resisted as she clung onto his chest for dear life. He couldn’t stop the awestruck smile from spreading across his face as he explained, “I’m not going anywhere, love. I just want to grab the blanket from my bag so I can do a better job of keeping you warm.”

Her lower lip remained jutted out playfully, and rather than ignore her cutely captivating pout, Mike simply leaned inward and allowed his lips to take hold of her own. He felt the surprised gasp escape her as his mouth warmly moved against her’s. El’s fingers weaved into his raven locks and her ears swooned at the sounds of his softly pleased sighs. Neither intended for the moment to ever end; however, when Mike felt her slightly shiver again, he separated himself from the taste of her lips.

El made a move to grab onto his hand, but Mike responded with a smirk as he stepped away, “I’m literally just grabbing the blanket and coming right back. We can pick up where we left off, I promise.”

He could feel her honey brown eyes gazing after him as he moved a few feet over to where he had abandoned the bike. He swiftly retrieved the blanket that would provide additional comfort to the girl of his dreams, and attempted to move as fast as he could to be back with her. Yet, Mike somehow seemed to have absentmindedly forgotten his lack of coordination as his sneakers clipped a sharp rock, sending him backward with no avail.

He could barely register the panicked symphony that was Eleven’s voice as the wind moving by him rippled within his eardrums. He felt instantly weightless as he started to recognize that his lanky form had barreled right off of the edge of that godforsaken cliff. And while he should be scared for his life; the only thought in his mind centered around his favorite being on the planet, and how he wished she didn’t have to suffer this loss. He wanted a life for her that was interlaced with happy endings, but as he felt himself spiraling midair, he knew his demise would leave her shattered.

Mike had been so trapped in shock and fear of what would become of his love that he seemingly missed the fact that he was not moving. It was when he was left weightlessly hovering yards above the concrete water beneath him that he finally heard a familiar guttural scream. His body slowly began to shift upward as he hurtled back up to the top. And before he could even begin to berate himself for being so clumsy, he had found himself back on the blanket where he belonged.

He let out a shaky breath that turned into an unsettling fit of laughter as his adrenaline and fear ushered into one panicked unit. He remained that way for a moment until he remembered what exactly had just happened, and who had just saved his life from freely falling to his imminent death. Again.

“El,” he rasped and looked beside him. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but for some reason, the sight of her crimson blood and unconscious state left him unhinged.

Mike began with desperately calling out her name, hoping that if he said it enough times she would awaken. And when that failed, he slightly shook her shoulders, watching to see if her eyes produced any movement.

It was when he laid his head onto her chest, hearing the thump of her heartbeat, that relief paralyzed his core. Mike’s body slumped against El’s as he became a sobbing mess. He murmured her name on repeat and pleaded for her to reawaken; and for some reason, when she really did wake up, he remained in disbelief.

El’s throat felt aflame as the familiar taste of iron crashed into her tastebuds. She startled at the sounds of her boyfriend’s cries and quickly attempted to sit up; however, the weight of his head on top of her abdomen kept her grounded.

“M-mike,” her raspy voice called for him.

In an instant, his head snapped forward and his deep brown orbs bored into her own. He pitifully crawled forward on his shaking limbs and rambled, “I’m so sorry, El. I’m so sorry for being such a stupid, clumsy idiot. Are you okay? Does your head hurt? You need to drink some water. We need to get you home—“

His mind thankfully shut himself up once her cold lips danced upon his own. Without a second thought, he clasped his hand around the base of her head, bringing her further into his embrace. Her body soon fell onto his slightly and the two basked in the warmth that they had created within the frigid winter air.

When they parted, El laid her forehead against his own as she whispered, “at least I’m not cold anymore.”

There was uneasy silence that followed after her statement, which quickly evolved into frantic giggles. Their stomaches bursted into beautiful little butterflies as the heaviness of the situation lifted.

A moment later, Mike startled when he noticed a look of horror cross El’s face. He leaned into her and caressed her cheek as he questioned, “what’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

She shook her head back and forth before reaching down and grabbing ahold of a napkin. Mike watched her in confusion as she dabbed the damp cloth along his face. Eleven noticed his lack of understanding and shortly clarified, “I forgot that my powers come with residual nose bleeds. And when we kissed, I got some of it on you. I’m sorry.”

Mike caught her wrist with his hand and brought it to his lips, “don’t apologize.”

He then retrieved a cloth of his own and cradled her face in his hands. He thumbed delicately along the hollow of her ear and against her Cupid’s bow as he rid her of the warrior paint that had been smattered across her face.

Once the blood was gone, Mike brought her frail form to rest between his open legs. With her back pressed into his chest, he began to leave a gracious amount of kisses along the crown of her head. He felt her nestle further against him as she contently sighed. The silence they shared felt peaceful; at least until El felt cold tears land into her frizzy curls. She looked upward at her boyfriend, whose face was now covered in icy tracks of emotion. She cupped his cheeks in her hands and wiped away any remaining tears as she murmured, “what’s wrong?”

Mike huffed, “I’m really sorry about ruining our date by almost falling to my death,” he paused to chuckle before a watery smile replaced his once vacant expression, “but you saved me. You saved me again, and I’m so proud of you because I know how hard you’ve been working to get your powers back. I just wish I could save you sometimes like you always save me.”

El watched as his eyes downcast away from her. She slightly moved her face forward and nudged her nose against his to grab his attention. Once his eyes met her’s once more, she strongly stated, “you have saved me more times than you know. You practically rescued my existence by teaching me love, and that’s the only savior I ever really needed.”

A soft cry left his lips as he hugged her tightly. Within this embrace, Mike whispered, “I love you.”

Another chill wracked Eleven’s chest, except this time, it was due to the overwhelming sensation of allowing her soul to attach to it’s anchor. She quietly validated, “I love you too.”

Almost as a way to test her own self, to see if her powers had truthfully returned, El sat Mike’s bike up onto it’s wheels. He watched her in awe as she did this, and smirked as she casually suggested, “want to go back home? We can make hot chocolate and watch a movie.”

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of Mike’s musical laughter. He kissed the tip of her nose before sweetly stating, “that sounds perfect — just like you.”

As the two repositioned themselves back onto the bike, Mike startled when the blanket from the ground suddenly levitated. He grinned as his girlfriend wrapped the blanket around their bodies as her arms securely gripped onto his waist.

He felt El sweetly smile against his back as he pointed out, “you just got your powers back and you’re already being a showoff.”

She pecked his shoulder blade and sarcastically retorted, “I’m just trying to impress my boyfriend.”

Mike turned around and dropped one last kiss onto her lips before assuring, “powers or not, you’ve always been the most remarkable person in the world. You have my whole heart.”

The silent squeeze that Mike felt around his ribcage spoke for itself as he recognized it was her way of reiterating the same message back to him.

As the two pedaled off, they traveled further into their journey of love. Times would be ever changing and the challenges that were ahead of them would threaten to rip them apart.

In the months that followed, Mike would watch El painstakingly accomplish the closure of the gate. And while he had once thought she had been utilized as an unvalued machine, he eventually learned the true reason she was always the one in harms way.

El Hopper’s powers may have provided her the ability to save the day, but it was the abundant amount of love she withheld in her heart for the people around her that compelled her to save them all. Her passion and undeniable warmth was unstoppable, and when she found herself in the heroic position to save everybody, all Mike could do was stand beside her.

Together, with their hands interlaced and souls intertwined, Mike and El were untouchable. They could never be beaten nor broken as there was no greater power than their irrevocable love.

***************************************

**Author's Note:**

> As always, feel free to leave a comment! All are welcome to leave requests or message me on Instagram, (@ eggohopper), to talk about requests!  
Sending you all hugs.  
\- Mel <3


End file.
